A Wedding without Wine

My Sermon today is about Marriage, and about the importance of Marriage in Gods sight. I believe that God intended for us all to be married, but that He makes an exception for those who are “Married to Him”? I recon that unless you are married to Christ, you need someone in your life to get that “selfishness” out of you. This is why God created a woman for the man.

I have said it before, but it bears repetition, that you can have a wedding without a marriage, and a house without a home.

My Sermon today entitled “A Wedding without Wine“

is about the first Biblical Picture we get of God as Man.

We read earlier in the Service from John Chapter Two that …

“… there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine”.

John 2: 1-3

Here was a Marriage with something missing. Is there something missing in your marriage today? Do you feel that someone has pulled the plug on your party, someone has short changed your expectations, someone has stolen the gift of Love that you gave to each other a while ago? Is yours a Marriage without the Magic, A Relationship without the Romance, A Life without the Love? If so, then my message today is just for you.

The most difficult of all Services I have to conduct are Weddings and Funerals for they can either bring people together or tear people apart. If your Pastor or Priest did a good job at your wedding or family funeral, then make sure you tell him so;

it is not an easy task. People at Weddings and Funerals have differing expectations for the day, and the Preachers role is to pull all of those personalities and possibilities together without offending or causing hurt, and it is no easy task, believe me.

This Wedding Story is not found in the Synoptic Gospels, John is the only writer to record it, and he does not like the rest, Matthew Mark or Luke, try to establish the credibility and durability of Jesus’ lineage or ancestry,… his humanity.

John begins right away with his Divinity.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…”

John begins in chapter One, by showing us God, Jesus is God in the flesh, and he says that God has left aside his royal, regal garments, and dressed himself in human flesh; reducing himself lower than the Angels, to become a Man to live and love as one of us. This is interesting because the Jesus I see in Chapters 1 and 2 are two extremes of the one personage. First we see God as the Creator of the Universe, then we see him at a Party! This is the first picture we get of Jesus, and the first glimpse we have of his nature and his agenda. Jesus came to “relate” to us, in other words, he came to be one of us. This wedding party was not an Irish wedding, this was a Jewish wedding party that went on for several days. Jesus wasn’t just AT the party, he didn’t just drop in to see what was going on, he was invited,

as was his Mother Mary.

So now we see his Mother coming to him, telling him that they are running out of wine. We need to understand that this is not

Jesus’ problem and bears no similarity to the many other crisis into which he will be called to intervene. This was not like leprosy, blindness, or demon possession, yet this was a problem to his Mother, and if she cared about it, then He cared about it.

What matters to us, matters to God!

This was a party that was running out of wine, … no one will die because of it, so just why not say its over and go home?
Yet we can see here that Jesus involves himself in those problems that apparently don’t matter to him, but matter to us.

He tells his mother that “His Hour has not yet come”, but because of his relationship – his connection with her, he will do something about it. God is the God of Unscheduled Miracles: It may not be the right time or place, but if you believe in Him, live in hope with him, then he can make it happen. For example when God gave Abraham’s wife Sarah, give a women nearly 100 years old a baby, it wasn’t the right time in her life to be bearing children, it wasn’t the right season in her years, but God is God and he can do whatever he pleases without first of all having to get the decision approved by a committee or board, God is God and beside him there is no other! God may have an unscheduled or unexpected miracle for you too, and its never wrong to expect it.

Apparently this was Jesus’ first PUBLIC miracle. Yet I don’t believe it was his first miracle? What I want you to see is that God does not play by the rules of religion. Sometimes religious people are more religious than God. Jesus is a relational Jesus!

I believe that his mother has seen him do these kind of things in private but it was now time for him to do this in public. She was not going to come up to him in front of all these people and ask him to do something that she knew would be impossible for him,… I tell you she knew what he could do.

God will have you practice some things in PRIVATE, long before you can show up and do them in PUBLIC! She had to have seen him do this kind of thing before, – I have no doubt. I was preaching in private, long before I was preaching in public. Remember we are in Gods School room, there is a learning process even to miracles. This same Jesus who would raise Lazarus from the dead, calm a raging storm, cast out a legion of demons, begins with turning water to wine, this was his debut?

Then his Mother says to the servants, “what ever he says to do, do it”? Jesus didn’t say he was going to do it; yet she had enough faith to believe that if she asked he would do it. He didn’t say he was going to use the servants? But God will do what He is going to do in this earth realm, always through willing and surrendered servants. You have got to get involved in the miracle if there is going to be a change in your marriage. You’ve got to get involved. You can’t get a blessing by just being on your knees all day. Pray about your marriage by all means, but remember that you have some things to put in order, to make preparation, – set the stage for the change.

So Jesus calls for them to bring him water pots: Think of it:
Jesus was asked for wine and he brought water? Has God ever answered your prayers with something different that you asked for? It makes you ask God “didn’t you hear or understand what I asked you for? I asked you for this and you responded with that?” What good was it to have God just to get you water? You could’ve gotten that by yourself.

But God is working on our Faith! We have got to have the faith (even when it looks like nothing is happening) to believe that He is doing something – so refuse to doubt God! Can you say …

I’m still hurting but I’m not going to doubt him! I’m still separated but I’m not going to doubt him! I’m still lonely but I’m not going to doubt him! I’m still broke but I’m not going to doubt him! I’m still jobless but I’m not going to doubt him! I’m still disappointed but I’m not going to doubt him! I’m still sick but I’m not going to doubt him! – That’s persistent faith!

If circumstances cause you to give in, then you didn’t really believe in the first place. God wants to see real faith.

It might not yet be the time for the miracle you needed, but the miracle is on its way. Do you have the faith to prepare for what shall be when you are worried about what is? Mary knew that something was about to happen? Because God only

works in the middle of expectation!

Lord deliver us from people who don’t expect anything else to happen! Deliver us from those who live in mediocrity, those who never want better, never hope for the best, never dream of heaven … until you expect it, it can’t happen.
The enemy may take your job, take your promotion, take your benefits, take your pension, take your investment, take your home, take your car, take everything … but as long as he didn’t take your expectation then you can still get a break through!
Get yourself pregnant with promise today.

Is there any of you out there expecting from God? Hear me when I tell you that the enemy is after your expectation –

he wants you to accept a wedding without wine, a life without joy, a house without a home, a marriage without love, but the Devil is a liar! Never accept it. Know that life has much

more for you than that.

The Lord wants me to wake up your expectations. Expect that miracle in your marriage, with your finances, with your children, in your workplace, and in your Church.
You’ve got to get out your comfort zone! You’ve got to be okay with looking like a fool! Have faith! Once you speak the word and persist in faith and not in fear – it’s as good as done!

There are many Weddings (marriages) that have lost their wine.
You’re still married but out of wine. The joy is gone, the thrill is gone, the excitement is drained, the enthusiasm is lost, – maybe this is more of an emergency than we first thought?
What do you do when your wedding, your job, your life has run out of wine? Sometimes folks are staying married because that’s what’s proper to do, but they feel stuck? Stuck in a lifeless relationship, and meaningless existence and a loveless marriage. Something that used to be wonderful is no longer sparkling? Something you used to celebrate but today the wine is flat?

Its like those who are just going to work because that’s where they are expected, or those who just go home because that’s where they live. What are we to do when things deteriorate

to this level?
The answer lies in Jesus, we need Him in our relationships, we need him at our wedding, we need Him to provide the wine, the sparkle, the magic, the momentum and the meaning. Jesus made all the difference to this wedding, and he will make all the difference to yours if you allow him. Christians too, can still be leaving him out of their marriage. Begin today and then every day to invite Jesus into your marriage relationship. If you’ve never done it before, do it now. Every morning, sit down with your partner, it may be across the breakfast table, take your partner by the hand and say out loud together “Jesus be in our marriage today, be in our home today and be in our love today”

I guarantee that if you do that you’ll get a miracle every day,

for where Jesus is, its heaven there. If you welcome Jesus into your marriage every day, then he will make all the difference. Your children will see it, your grandchildren will sense it, and your family, friends and neighbours will all benefit from it.

I guarantee it!

In the light of all the other miracles that lay before Jesus, it seems strange to me that this was his debut? But maybe it wasn’t about the water and the wine, maybe it was more about his commitment to the whole idea of Marriage? You see Jesus came into the world for a Bride, and he is soon coming back to take that Bride to a Wedding. He is going to marry the Church as his espoused (promised) virgin and he commemorates the ceremony by saying to her:

“I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom”. Matthew 26:29

Jesus knew that it was not right for the Groom to see the bride until the wedding ceremony, so he says:

I will not drink wine until we drink it together at the wedding.

I am going away for a while, but I will be back to take you to myself that where I am there you may be also, for ever!

Jesus is coming back for his love, coming back for his promised, precious one, coming back for his church family.

But wait a minute … “what is that you say Lord?” …

Don’t leave the Party, the best wine is coming next!

John tells us:

“When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.” John 2: 9-10

Your last days can be better than your first days, and they will be if you include Jesus in every one of them. God can turn your life and circumstances at home around. He can bring the sparkle back into your love and into your relationship, and your latter days can be better than your former days. I discovered a wonderful definition of the word LOVE recently and I want to share it with you.

LOVE is that enduring value of a person that gives you a sense of their importance to you!

let me repeat that

LOVE is that enduring value of a person that gives you a sense of their importance to you!

If your Marriage is without Love, if your Wedding is without wine, it may be your fault. Think about it!

NOW THIS FINAL WORD.

A couple married for 15 years began having more than usual disagreements. They wanted to make their marriage work and agreed on an idea the wife had. For one month they planned to drop a note on a slip of paper in a His & Her “Fault” box.

The boxes would provide a place to let the other know about daily irritations. The wife was diligent in her efforts and approach: “leaving the jam top off the jar,” “wet towels on the shower floor,” “dirty socks not in the hamper,” on and on until the end of the month. After dinner, at the end of the month, they exchanged boxes. The husband reflected on what he had done wrong. Then the wife opened her box and began reading. They were all the same, the message on each slip was, “I love you!”

You see … Real love – the love that makes for happy marriages can never be Love if, or Love because, it must always be

Love in spite of!

Faith is for now, Hope is for tomorrow, but Love is for Always.

God Bless you. Amen